Re: [Coworking] Re: building the community

[Eric Haas]

Thanks so much for sharing this alejandro! reminds and helps me to set up 
those basic house rules as well!
Muchas gracias!
Eric

Op dinsdag 26 maart 2019 16:05:21 UTC+1 schreef Alejandro Moreno:
>
> Since we hardly did any community-building before we opened our space, if 
> I could do it over again, I would address certain topics like kitchen 
> use/rules, some basic bathroom usage/rules/etiquette, ideas for improving 
> recycling/sustainability, member guest policy, open space noise policy 
> (like whether phone calls will be allowed in the main space or whether 
> people should use phone booths and meeting rooms for calls, as people talk 
> very loudly on cell phones and video chat calls), getting the members to 
> help you keep the bills down (turn off lights in rooms when not in use, 
> etc), and how many of your members would potentially want private offices 
> (build as many as you can). 
>
> As far as specific recommendations I would make for some of the 
> aforementioned topics (some might be relevant to you, some might not be):
> — NO seafood in the microwave, EVER
> — Any food left in the fridge at 6pm each Friday is up for grabs for 
> anyone because it will get tossed that night.
> — Rinse the sink after you've emptied food, coffee grounds etc into the 
> sink / disposal (basic common sense stuff that people are too unconscious 
> to think about sometimes)
> — Have a sign you can hang on the dishwasher telling people that it's 
> running so DO NOT OPEN while running
> — Tell members to go ahead and load toilet paper if it runs out and not 
> have to wait and go tell you that TP is out
> — Ask them, if they'd be open to pitch in and clean a toilet once in a 
> while if it needs cleaning (cuz you're going to end up cleaning them daily 
> unless you hire a service)
> — We set up 3 separate recycling stations in our space but we need to do a 
> better job about telling people to do small things like remove the plastic 
> lid and paper sleeve from their coffee cups and recycle those (better yet, 
> I think we're going to establish a new rule for our regular members – no 
> more plastic/paper cups from the local cafe, use your own washable coffee 
> mug instead)
> — We set a 2 hour member guest policy, after that they need to buy a day 
> pass
> — We have a ''quiet culture'' in the open space, we built 3 phone booths 
> and we let our members use the meeting rooms too for short calls if the 
> phone booths are full.
> — We give each of our members 20 free hours of meeting room use per month, 
> so they can book meeting rooms either for a long phone call that they have 
> in their schedules or for meetings or whatever they need. You may or may 
> not be able to afford this so, do what works best for you.
> — I'm constantly turning the lights off in the phone booths, meeting rooms 
> etc, we need to put signs up telling people to turn them off (even though 
> the rooms have automatic sensors, the lights stay on for a while after the 
> room or phone booth is vacated) so you might want to consider the same 
> thing. Some people when entering the office in the morning turn on the 
> entire panel of lights automatically without thinking whether that is 
> really necessary. It never is, so several times a week I'm turning off 
> about 50% of the lights someone mindlessly turned on when they let 
> themselves in early in the morning. 
> — We built 2 private offices originally, we're looking at converting our 
> largest (and most underutilized) meeting room into 5 small private offices 
> and another nook we have into 2 more meeting rooms, plus converting one 
> meeting room we have now over to a private office, giving us 8 private 
> offices and 4 meeting rooms total
>
> That's all I have off the top of my head.
>
> Alejandro Moreno S. 
> Cofounder/VP VenturePad 
>
>
>
> On Thu, Mar 21, 2019 at 8:11 AM > wrote:
>
>> In addition to what the other experts here suggest, research what Mark 
>> Eaton of the Cochrane Corner did. I believe it was based on Angel's advice 
>> and it was clearly successful. I recently spoke with Mark and he is looking 
>> for a second location. Not bad for a semi-rural operator. 
>>
>>
>> On Sunday, February 24, 2019 at 2:46:33 AM UTC-7, superio...@gmail.com 
>> wrote:
>>>
>>> Hey Guys!
>>>
>>> Tomorrow is my first meet and greets for my coworking community.  I am 
>>> building the community before acquiring the actual space.  What are some 
>>> topics or processes I should cover tomorrow during the meet and greet?  Any 
>>> advice for topics to be discussed? Ice breaker techniques? 
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>> Trey 
>>>
>> -- 
>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
>> "Coworking" group.
>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an 
>> email to coworking+...@googlegroups.com .
>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
>>
>

-- 
You received this message because you are 

Re: [Coworking] Re: building the community

[Alejandro Moreno]

Since we hardly did any community-building before we opened our space, if I
could do it over again, I would address certain topics like kitchen
use/rules, some basic bathroom usage/rules/etiquette, ideas for improving
recycling/sustainability, member guest policy, open space noise policy
(like whether phone calls will be allowed in the main space or whether
people should use phone booths and meeting rooms for calls, as people talk
very loudly on cell phones and video chat calls), getting the members to
help you keep the bills down (turn off lights in rooms when not in use,
etc), and how many of your members would potentially want private offices
(build as many as you can).

As far as specific recommendations I would make for some of the
aforementioned topics (some might be relevant to you, some might not be):
— NO seafood in the microwave, EVER
— Any food left in the fridge at 6pm each Friday is up for grabs for anyone
because it will get tossed that night.
— Rinse the sink after you've emptied food, coffee grounds etc into the
sink / disposal (basic common sense stuff that people are too unconscious
to think about sometimes)
— Have a sign you can hang on the dishwasher telling people that it's
running so DO NOT OPEN while running
— Tell members to go ahead and load toilet paper if it runs out and not
have to wait and go tell you that TP is out
— Ask them, if they'd be open to pitch in and clean a toilet once in a
while if it needs cleaning (cuz you're going to end up cleaning them daily
unless you hire a service)
— We set up 3 separate recycling stations in our space but we need to do a
better job about telling people to do small things like remove the plastic
lid and paper sleeve from their coffee cups and recycle those (better yet,
I think we're going to establish a new rule for our regular members – no
more plastic/paper cups from the local cafe, use your own washable coffee
mug instead)
— We set a 2 hour member guest policy, after that they need to buy a day
pass
— We have a ''quiet culture'' in the open space, we built 3 phone booths
and we let our members use the meeting rooms too for short calls if the
phone booths are full.
— We give each of our members 20 free hours of meeting room use per month,
so they can book meeting rooms either for a long phone call that they have
in their schedules or for meetings or whatever they need. You may or may
not be able to afford this so, do what works best for you.
— I'm constantly turning the lights off in the phone booths, meeting rooms
etc, we need to put signs up telling people to turn them off (even though
the rooms have automatic sensors, the lights stay on for a while after the
room or phone booth is vacated) so you might want to consider the same
thing. Some people when entering the office in the morning turn on the
entire panel of lights automatically without thinking whether that is
really necessary. It never is, so several times a week I'm turning off
about 50% of the lights someone mindlessly turned on when they let
themselves in early in the morning.
— We built 2 private offices originally, we're looking at converting our
largest (and most underutilized) meeting room into 5 small private offices
and another nook we have into 2 more meeting rooms, plus converting one
meeting room we have now over to a private office, giving us 8 private
offices and 4 meeting rooms total

That's all I have off the top of my head.

Alejandro Moreno S. 
Cofounder/VP VenturePad 



On Thu, Mar 21, 2019 at 8:11 AM  wrote:

> In addition to what the other experts here suggest, research what Mark
> Eaton of the Cochrane Corner did. I believe it was based on Angel's advice
> and it was clearly successful. I recently spoke with Mark and he is looking
> for a second location. Not bad for a semi-rural operator.
>
>
> On Sunday, February 24, 2019 at 2:46:33 AM UTC-7, superio...@gmail.com
> wrote:
>>
>> Hey Guys!
>>
>> Tomorrow is my first meet and greets for my coworking community.  I am
>> building the community before acquiring the actual space.  What are some
>> topics or processes I should cover tomorrow during the meet and greet?  Any
>> advice for topics to be discussed? Ice breaker techniques?
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Trey
>>
> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> "Coworking" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an
> email to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
>

-- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
"Coworking" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email 
to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[Coworking] Re: building the community

[keystolope]

In addition to what the other experts here suggest, research what Mark 
Eaton of the Cochrane Corner did. I believe it was based on Angel's advice 
and it was clearly successful. I recently spoke with Mark and he is looking 
for a second location. Not bad for a semi-rural operator. 


On Sunday, February 24, 2019 at 2:46:33 AM UTC-7, superio...@gmail.com 
wrote:
>
> Hey Guys!
>
> Tomorrow is my first meet and greets for my coworking community.  I am 
> building the community before acquiring the actual space.  What are some 
> topics or processes I should cover tomorrow during the meet and greet?  Any 
> advice for topics to be discussed? Ice breaker techniques? 
>
> Thanks,
> Trey 
>

-- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
"Coworking" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email 
to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

Re: [Coworking] Re: building the community

[Trey Downes]

It was a good step for us.  Just putting into action was a good feeling.
You’re totally right. It starts with one.

On Mon, Feb 25, 2019 at 10:04 PM Alex Hillman 
wrote:

> *So what happened with that one person, Trey?*
>
> I think what you're experiencing is pretty common: launching a coworking
> *meeetup* is a lot easier than launching a coworking *space* but both are
> fundamentally the same thing:
>
> A way to bring people together.
>
> Meetups actually step two (or three or ten or eighty or one hundred and
> fourty).
>
> *Step one* is actually more like what you experienced: meeting and
> getting to know one person! And then another one. And then another. And
> then sometimes two or three.
>
> Looking for the things they have in common
> . And then telling them about each
> other. Finding ways and reasons to connect. *Then* convening them based
> on what you learn.
>
> So I hope you had a nice time getting to know that one person, Trey. They
> might be your first member.
>
> I remember the first time I had dinner/drinks with the person who became
> our first member. He's still a member today, 12 years later!
>
> -Alex
>
>
>
>
> On Tue, Feb 26, 2019 at 8:25 AM Trey Downes 
> wrote:
>
>> Thanks I actually bought your book and it has helped me big time.
>> Yesterday’s meet up was not what I expected. One persons showed. lol.
>>
>> On Mon, Feb 25, 2019 at 11:35 AM Angel Kwiatkowski 
>> wrote:
>>
>>> There are step by step guides for your first meetings in my book at
>>> https://www.diycoworking.com/shop/ultimate-coworking-launch-sequence-ebook
>>>
>>> Angel
>>>
>>> ps. gather email addresses!
>>>
>>>
>>> On Sunday, February 24, 2019 at 2:46:33 AM UTC-7, superio...@gmail.com
>>> wrote:

 Hey Guys!

 Tomorrow is my first meet and greets for my coworking community.  I am
 building the community before acquiring the actual space.  What are some
 topics or processes I should cover tomorrow during the meet and greet?  Any
 advice for topics to be discussed? Ice breaker techniques?

 Thanks,
 Trey

>>> --
>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
>>> Groups "Coworking" group.
>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send
>>> an email to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
>>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
>>>
>> --
>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
>> "Coworking" group.
>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an
>> email to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
>>
> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> "Coworking" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an
> email to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
>

-- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
"Coworking" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email 
to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

Re: [Coworking] Re: building the community

[Alex Hillman]

*So what happened with that one person, Trey?*

I think what you're experiencing is pretty common: launching a coworking
*meeetup* is a lot easier than launching a coworking *space* but both are
fundamentally the same thing:

A way to bring people together.

Meetups actually step two (or three or ten or eighty or one hundred and
fourty).

*Step one* is actually more like what you experienced: meeting and getting
to know one person! And then another one. And then another. And then
sometimes two or three.

Looking for the things they have in common
. And then telling them about each
other. Finding ways and reasons to connect. *Then* convening them based on
what you learn.

So I hope you had a nice time getting to know that one person, Trey. They
might be your first member.

I remember the first time I had dinner/drinks with the person who became
our first member. He's still a member today, 12 years later!

-Alex




On Tue, Feb 26, 2019 at 8:25 AM Trey Downes 
wrote:

> Thanks I actually bought your book and it has helped me big time.
> Yesterday’s meet up was not what I expected. One persons showed. lol.
>
> On Mon, Feb 25, 2019 at 11:35 AM Angel Kwiatkowski 
> wrote:
>
>> There are step by step guides for your first meetings in my book at
>> https://www.diycoworking.com/shop/ultimate-coworking-launch-sequence-ebook
>>
>> Angel
>>
>> ps. gather email addresses!
>>
>>
>> On Sunday, February 24, 2019 at 2:46:33 AM UTC-7, superio...@gmail.com
>> wrote:
>>>
>>> Hey Guys!
>>>
>>> Tomorrow is my first meet and greets for my coworking community.  I am
>>> building the community before acquiring the actual space.  What are some
>>> topics or processes I should cover tomorrow during the meet and greet?  Any
>>> advice for topics to be discussed? Ice breaker techniques?
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>> Trey
>>>
>> --
>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
>> "Coworking" group.
>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an
>> email to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
>>
> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> "Coworking" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an
> email to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
>

-- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
"Coworking" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email 
to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

Re: [Coworking] Re: building the community

[Trey Downes]

Thanks I actually bought your book and it has helped me big time.
Yesterday’s meet up was not what I expected. One persons showed. lol.

On Mon, Feb 25, 2019 at 11:35 AM Angel Kwiatkowski 
wrote:

> There are step by step guides for your first meetings in my book at
> https://www.diycoworking.com/shop/ultimate-coworking-launch-sequence-ebook
>
> Angel
>
> ps. gather email addresses!
>
>
> On Sunday, February 24, 2019 at 2:46:33 AM UTC-7, superio...@gmail.com
> wrote:
>>
>> Hey Guys!
>>
>> Tomorrow is my first meet and greets for my coworking community.  I am
>> building the community before acquiring the actual space.  What are some
>> topics or processes I should cover tomorrow during the meet and greet?  Any
>> advice for topics to be discussed? Ice breaker techniques?
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Trey
>>
> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> "Coworking" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an
> email to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
>

-- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
"Coworking" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email 
to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[Coworking] Re: building the community

[Angel Kwiatkowski]

There are step by step guides for your first meetings in my book 
at https://www.diycoworking.com/shop/ultimate-coworking-launch-sequence-ebook

Angel

ps. gather email addresses!

On Sunday, February 24, 2019 at 2:46:33 AM UTC-7, superio...@gmail.com 
wrote:
>
> Hey Guys!
>
> Tomorrow is my first meet and greets for my coworking community.  I am 
> building the community before acquiring the actual space.  What are some 
> topics or processes I should cover tomorrow during the meet and greet?  Any 
> advice for topics to be discussed? Ice breaker techniques? 
>
> Thanks,
> Trey 
>

-- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
"Coworking" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email 
to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

Re: [Coworking] Re: Building A Community

[Margo Aaron]

Hi Michael,

YES! Lots of ways to integrate Slack (keeping this on the main thread as I
think it could be useful to others). Namely, by watching what *doesn't* work
- we've all been part of those FB and Slack groups that are
just...crickets. Or worse, they're overly promotional.

In order to avoid that, here's what I did:

(1) *Limit Channels: *This gives people direction and a "beautiful
constraint." When you have 600 channels you get decision fatigue. Limit
your channels (5-10 max)

(2) *Give your channels VERY OBVIOUS names*. If people dont know what the
channel is for, they won't use it. I have fun with naming but it's still
clear what its' for (like #treatyoself is a channel, that's where we talk
about self care)

(3) *Tag people*: Don't awkwardly ambush people, but if someone asks a
question about instagram and you know one of your members knows instagram,
tag them in the thread like this, "@jon do you know anything about this?"
or "@jon might be able to help, he's way better than me at instagram" <---
You want to be careful not to obligate them, just engage them.

(4) *Set Rules for Engagement: *You dont have to state them explicitly, but
you do have to enforce them publically. For example, if you post "Hey guys!
I just published this would be great if you shared!" I will shame you bc
that is a terrible and self-serving post. You have to lead by example and
teach people how you want them to engage AND show them it's safe to be
real. The example above is when your communication is transactional and not
real.

(5) *Moderate: *I will comment directly on threads and say, "Give us
context, WHY do you want us to read this?" My tribe feels protected, like
someone is looking out for them. Because I am. I want the conversation to
have depth. There's a place to recommend your stuff but we have a thread
for that. So you need to moderate until people understand what the rules
are for engagement.

(6) *Most activity happens in the DMs*. At least, that's been our
experience, which is *great* news. It's annoying bc sometimes main channels
can be quiet and you freak out that no one is getting value - but slack
will send you activity data each week so you'll see if people are DMing
(it's great news because that means your members are connecting!)

Curious to know what others have done that's worked.

- Margo



On Thu, Oct 25, 2018 at 3:38 PM Michael Jon  wrote:

> Hi Margo,
>
> I have my first get together coming up and I would like to introduce Slack
> as a tool we can use to compliment our ongoing coworking get togethers.
> How would you suggest implementing this virtual coworking space/slack to a
> small group of people new to coworking?  What can I do to get people
> interested in joining and staying active?  Are there some virtual exercises
> that you have found successful?
>
> Thank you!
>
> On Monday, October 1, 2018 at 1:41:56 PM UTC-4, Margo Aaron wrote:
>>
>> Hey Michael,
>>
>> My coworking space is completely virtual, so we're almost *entirely*
>>  community.
>>
>> What's worked:
>>
>>- Personal introductions and taking the time to get to know everyone
>>in the space
>>- Exclusivity: stressing this is for "people like us" and having some
>>common thread that connects your members. In my case, it's solopreneurs
>>with online businesses. For other coworking spaces, it could be that you
>>all live in XYZ city or are trying to raise venture capital.
>>- Having a forum for members to meet each other
>>
>> What hasn't worked:
>>
>>- Oversharing articles or business opportunities - There is NOTHING
>>that will kill community quicker than interactions like, "Hey Guys! Will
>>you share this post I wrote! Thanks!!!" You want to push for substantive
>>conversations that build relationships instead of creating transactional
>>ones.
>>
>> That's not to say our members don't do business with one another, they
>> do. But it comes up organically. And it's sprinkled in between adding
>> genuine value to each other.
>>
>> We use slack for most of this. And Zoom.
>>
>> Hope this helps!
>>
>> - M
>>
>> On Mon, Oct 1, 2018 at 12:14 PM Angel Kwiatkowski 
>> wrote:
>>
>>> I wrote a step by step book on how to do this. Find it at
>>> https://diycoworking.com.
>>>
>>> Angel
>>>
>>> On Thursday, September 27, 2018 at 2:17:47 PM UTC-6, Michael Jon wrote:

 Hello, all!  I've recently begun the journey to open up a coworking
 space in my city.  After reading through various postings, books, websites
 etc...it seems that many owners stress the importance of building a
 coworking community BEFORE opening a space.  What are some key
 recommendations on how to build this community.  Very curious to hear what
 worked/didn't work.

 Thank you!

>>> --
>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
>>> Groups "Coworking" group.
>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send
>>> an email to 

Re: [Coworking] Re: Building A Community

[Michael Jon]

Hi Margo,

I have my first get together coming up and I would like to introduce Slack 
as a tool we can use to compliment our ongoing coworking get togethers.  
How would you suggest implementing this virtual coworking space/slack to a 
small group of people new to coworking?  What can I do to get people 
interested in joining and staying active?  Are there some virtual exercises 
that you have found successful?  

Thank you!

On Monday, October 1, 2018 at 1:41:56 PM UTC-4, Margo Aaron wrote:
>
> Hey Michael,
>
> My coworking space is completely virtual, so we're almost *entirely*
>  community. 
>
> What's worked:
>
>- Personal introductions and taking the time to get to know everyone 
>in the space 
>- Exclusivity: stressing this is for "people like us" and having some 
>common thread that connects your members. In my case, it's solopreneurs 
>with online businesses. For other coworking spaces, it could be that you 
>all live in XYZ city or are trying to raise venture capital.  
>- Having a forum for members to meet each other
>
> What hasn't worked:
>
>- Oversharing articles or business opportunities - There is NOTHING 
>that will kill community quicker than interactions like, "Hey Guys! Will 
>you share this post I wrote! Thanks!!!" You want to push for substantive 
>conversations that build relationships instead of creating transactional 
>ones. 
>
> That's not to say our members don't do business with one another, they do. 
> But it comes up organically. And it's sprinkled in between adding genuine 
> value to each other. 
>
> We use slack for most of this. And Zoom.
>
> Hope this helps! 
>
> - M
>
> On Mon, Oct 1, 2018 at 12:14 PM Angel Kwiatkowski  > wrote:
>
>> I wrote a step by step book on how to do this. Find it at 
>> https://diycoworking.com.
>>
>> Angel
>>
>> On Thursday, September 27, 2018 at 2:17:47 PM UTC-6, Michael Jon wrote:
>>>
>>> Hello, all!  I've recently begun the journey to open up a coworking 
>>> space in my city.  After reading through various postings, books, websites 
>>> etc...it seems that many owners stress the importance of building a 
>>> coworking community BEFORE opening a space.  What are some key 
>>> recommendations on how to build this community.  Very curious to hear what 
>>> worked/didn't work.
>>>
>>> Thank you!
>>>
>> -- 
>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
>> "Coworking" group.
>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an 
>> email to coworking+...@googlegroups.com .
>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
>>
>
>
> -- 
> Margo Aaron 
> That Seems Important  
>
> Want smart people to bounce ideas off of? I have some. 
> 
>

-- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
"Coworking" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email 
to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

Re: [Coworking] Re: Building A Community

[Michael Jon]

Thanks, Tony!  I was thinking our first "meet" up can be introductions, 
discussing what we would like to get out of coworking and brainstorming 
concepts and ideas to help us meet out goals.   The work sprint concept is 
something that I will definitely bring up - it's a great concept!

On Tuesday, October 2, 2018 at 6:23:21 PM UTC-4, Tony Bacigalupo wrote:
>
> Michael,
>
> So great to hear you've already gotten some response on Meetup!
>
> While I think a social gathering is valuable as a starting point, I think 
> it helps if you can zero straight in on the kinds of folks you want to be 
> spending time with—those who want to cowork. 
>
> For that, organizing a regular gathering in an existing space (like a 
> great cafe in town) is tried and true.
>
> Just asking people to show up to work in a cafe on its own, however, isn't 
> all that compelling—adding a simple layer of intention and programming to 
> the mix makes the whole thing far more compelling.
>
> The best format I've seen for this is one I call a Work Sprint.
>
> It's designed to give everyone a way to do a better job focusing on their 
> work, which is something everyone can relate to now. 
>
> By having people introduce themselves, set priorities, and then commit to 
> staying focused for set periods of time, you can create a strong sense of 
> cohesion and help people be more productive at the same time.
>
> That way, you start delivering real value, right now, long before a 
> physical space is even part of the conversation. 
>
> It's a great way to get people emotionally invested in the story of the 
> group you are bringing together. 
>
> I wrote more about Work Sprints and how to run them here:
> https://nwc.co/3/work-sprints-super-productive-social-jam-sessions/
>
> I'll also add: whatever you do, make sure to eventually do it regularly! 
> People need that sense of consistency. 
>
> Best of luck and please report back on how it goes!
>
> Tony Bacigalupo
>
> *---*
> New Work Cities  • Coworking.org
>
>
> On Tue, Oct 2, 2018 at 5:23 PM, Margo Aaron  > wrote:
>
>> Yeah, I mean there's definitely something if you're already getting 
>> people together and cultivating community.
>>
>> The only thing I'd caution is there's a big difference between getting 
>> people to come together and getting people to PAY for something. Use your 
>> meetups as market research - listen to what people are complaining about 
>> and what they need help with. Is there demand for a coworking space? 
>>
>> Definitely a good place to start. Keep us posted on how it goes! 
>>
>> On Mon, Oct 1, 2018 at 5:01 PM Michael Jon > > wrote:
>>
>>> Thanks, Margo.  This does help.  I did end up creating a "meetup" group 
>>> that has grown to about 40 members within several days.  What would you 
>>> recommend as our first "meetup?"  
>>>
>>> I truly believe a coworking space will be successful in my area and I do 
>>> have a building that I have my eye on, however, I am trying very hard not 
>>> to put the cart ahead of the horse.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Monday, October 1, 2018 at 1:41:56 PM UTC-4, Margo Aaron wrote:

 Hey Michael,

 My coworking space is completely virtual, so we're almost *entirely*
  community. 

 What's worked:

- Personal introductions and taking the time to get to know 
everyone in the space 
- Exclusivity: stressing this is for "people like us" and having 
some common thread that connects your members. In my case, it's 
solopreneurs with online businesses. For other coworking spaces, it 
 could 
be that you all live in XYZ city or are trying to raise venture 
 capital.  
- Having a forum for members to meet each other

 What hasn't worked:

- Oversharing articles or business opportunities - There is NOTHING 
that will kill community quicker than interactions like, "Hey Guys! 
 Will 
you share this post I wrote! Thanks!!!" You want to push for 
 substantive 
conversations that build relationships instead of creating 
 transactional 
ones. 

 That's not to say our members don't do business with one another, they 
 do. But it comes up organically. And it's sprinkled in between adding 
 genuine value to each other. 

 We use slack for most of this. And Zoom.

 Hope this helps! 

 - M

 On Mon, Oct 1, 2018 at 12:14 PM Angel Kwiatkowski  
 wrote:

> I wrote a step by step book on how to do this. Find it at 
> https://diycoworking.com.
>
> Angel
>
> On Thursday, September 27, 2018 at 2:17:47 PM UTC-6, Michael Jon wrote:
>>
>> Hello, all!  I've recently begun the journey to open up a coworking 
>> space in my city.  After reading through various postings, books, 
>> websites 
>> etc...it seems that many owners stress the importance of building a 
>> coworking community 

Re: [Coworking] Re: Building A Community

[Tony Bacigalupo]

Michael,

So great to hear you've already gotten some response on Meetup!

While I think a social gathering is valuable as a starting point, I think
it helps if you can zero straight in on the kinds of folks you want to be
spending time with—those who want to cowork.

For that, organizing a regular gathering in an existing space (like a great
cafe in town) is tried and true.

Just asking people to show up to work in a cafe on its own, however, isn't
all that compelling—adding a simple layer of intention and programming to
the mix makes the whole thing far more compelling.

The best format I've seen for this is one I call a Work Sprint.

It's designed to give everyone a way to do a better job focusing on their
work, which is something everyone can relate to now.

By having people introduce themselves, set priorities, and then commit to
staying focused for set periods of time, you can create a strong sense of
cohesion and help people be more productive at the same time.

That way, you start delivering real value, right now, long before a
physical space is even part of the conversation.

It's a great way to get people emotionally invested in the story of the
group you are bringing together.

I wrote more about Work Sprints and how to run them here:
https://nwc.co/3/work-sprints-super-productive-social-jam-sessions/

I'll also add: whatever you do, make sure to eventually do it regularly!
People need that sense of consistency.

Best of luck and please report back on how it goes!

Tony Bacigalupo

*---*
New Work Cities  • Coworking.org


On Tue, Oct 2, 2018 at 5:23 PM, Margo Aaron 
wrote:

> Yeah, I mean there's definitely something if you're already getting people
> together and cultivating community.
>
> The only thing I'd caution is there's a big difference between getting
> people to come together and getting people to PAY for something. Use your
> meetups as market research - listen to what people are complaining about
> and what they need help with. Is there demand for a coworking space?
>
> Definitely a good place to start. Keep us posted on how it goes!
>
> On Mon, Oct 1, 2018 at 5:01 PM Michael Jon 
> wrote:
>
>> Thanks, Margo.  This does help.  I did end up creating a "meetup" group
>> that has grown to about 40 members within several days.  What would you
>> recommend as our first "meetup?"
>>
>> I truly believe a coworking space will be successful in my area and I do
>> have a building that I have my eye on, however, I am trying very hard not
>> to put the cart ahead of the horse.
>>
>>
>>
>> On Monday, October 1, 2018 at 1:41:56 PM UTC-4, Margo Aaron wrote:
>>>
>>> Hey Michael,
>>>
>>> My coworking space is completely virtual, so we're almost *entirely*
>>>  community.
>>>
>>> What's worked:
>>>
>>>- Personal introductions and taking the time to get to know everyone
>>>in the space
>>>- Exclusivity: stressing this is for "people like us" and having
>>>some common thread that connects your members. In my case, it's
>>>solopreneurs with online businesses. For other coworking spaces, it could
>>>be that you all live in XYZ city or are trying to raise venture capital.
>>>- Having a forum for members to meet each other
>>>
>>> What hasn't worked:
>>>
>>>- Oversharing articles or business opportunities - There is NOTHING
>>>that will kill community quicker than interactions like, "Hey Guys! Will
>>>you share this post I wrote! Thanks!!!" You want to push for substantive
>>>conversations that build relationships instead of creating transactional
>>>ones.
>>>
>>> That's not to say our members don't do business with one another, they
>>> do. But it comes up organically. And it's sprinkled in between adding
>>> genuine value to each other.
>>>
>>> We use slack for most of this. And Zoom.
>>>
>>> Hope this helps!
>>>
>>> - M
>>>
>>> On Mon, Oct 1, 2018 at 12:14 PM Angel Kwiatkowski 
>>> wrote:
>>>
 I wrote a step by step book on how to do this. Find it at
 https://diycoworking.com.

 Angel

 On Thursday, September 27, 2018 at 2:17:47 PM UTC-6, Michael Jon wrote:
>
> Hello, all!  I've recently begun the journey to open up a coworking
> space in my city.  After reading through various postings, books, websites
> etc...it seems that many owners stress the importance of building a
> coworking community BEFORE opening a space.  What are some key
> recommendations on how to build this community.  Very curious to hear what
> worked/didn't work.
>
> Thank you!
>
 --
 You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
 Groups "Coworking" group.
 To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send
 an email to coworking+...@googlegroups.com.
 For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Margo Aaron
>>> That Seems Important 
>>>
>>> Want smart people 

Re: [Coworking] Re: Building A Community

[Margo Aaron]

Yeah, I mean there's definitely something if you're already getting people
together and cultivating community.

The only thing I'd caution is there's a big difference between getting
people to come together and getting people to PAY for something. Use your
meetups as market research - listen to what people are complaining about
and what they need help with. Is there demand for a coworking space?

Definitely a good place to start. Keep us posted on how it goes!

On Mon, Oct 1, 2018 at 5:01 PM Michael Jon  wrote:

> Thanks, Margo.  This does help.  I did end up creating a "meetup" group
> that has grown to about 40 members within several days.  What would you
> recommend as our first "meetup?"
>
> I truly believe a coworking space will be successful in my area and I do
> have a building that I have my eye on, however, I am trying very hard not
> to put the cart ahead of the horse.
>
>
>
> On Monday, October 1, 2018 at 1:41:56 PM UTC-4, Margo Aaron wrote:
>>
>> Hey Michael,
>>
>> My coworking space is completely virtual, so we're almost *entirely*
>>  community.
>>
>> What's worked:
>>
>>- Personal introductions and taking the time to get to know everyone
>>in the space
>>- Exclusivity: stressing this is for "people like us" and having some
>>common thread that connects your members. In my case, it's solopreneurs
>>with online businesses. For other coworking spaces, it could be that you
>>all live in XYZ city or are trying to raise venture capital.
>>- Having a forum for members to meet each other
>>
>> What hasn't worked:
>>
>>- Oversharing articles or business opportunities - There is NOTHING
>>that will kill community quicker than interactions like, "Hey Guys! Will
>>you share this post I wrote! Thanks!!!" You want to push for substantive
>>conversations that build relationships instead of creating transactional
>>ones.
>>
>> That's not to say our members don't do business with one another, they
>> do. But it comes up organically. And it's sprinkled in between adding
>> genuine value to each other.
>>
>> We use slack for most of this. And Zoom.
>>
>> Hope this helps!
>>
>> - M
>>
>> On Mon, Oct 1, 2018 at 12:14 PM Angel Kwiatkowski 
>> wrote:
>>
>>> I wrote a step by step book on how to do this. Find it at
>>> https://diycoworking.com.
>>>
>>> Angel
>>>
>>> On Thursday, September 27, 2018 at 2:17:47 PM UTC-6, Michael Jon wrote:

 Hello, all!  I've recently begun the journey to open up a coworking
 space in my city.  After reading through various postings, books, websites
 etc...it seems that many owners stress the importance of building a
 coworking community BEFORE opening a space.  What are some key
 recommendations on how to build this community.  Very curious to hear what
 worked/didn't work.

 Thank you!

>>> --
>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
>>> Groups "Coworking" group.
>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send
>>> an email to coworking+...@googlegroups.com.
>>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Margo Aaron
>> That Seems Important 
>>
>> Want smart people to bounce ideas off of? I have some.
>> 
>>
> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> "Coworking" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an
> email to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
>


-- 
Margo Aaron
That Seems Important 

Want smart people to bounce ideas off of? I have some.


-- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
"Coworking" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email 
to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

Re: [Coworking] Re: Building A Community

[Michael Jon]

Thanks, Margo.  This does help.  I did end up creating a "meetup" group 
that has grown to about 40 members within several days.  What would you 
recommend as our first "meetup?"  

I truly believe a coworking space will be successful in my area and I do 
have a building that I have my eye on, however, I am trying very hard not 
to put the cart ahead of the horse.



On Monday, October 1, 2018 at 1:41:56 PM UTC-4, Margo Aaron wrote:
>
> Hey Michael,
>
> My coworking space is completely virtual, so we're almost *entirely*
>  community. 
>
> What's worked:
>
>- Personal introductions and taking the time to get to know everyone 
>in the space 
>- Exclusivity: stressing this is for "people like us" and having some 
>common thread that connects your members. In my case, it's solopreneurs 
>with online businesses. For other coworking spaces, it could be that you 
>all live in XYZ city or are trying to raise venture capital.  
>- Having a forum for members to meet each other
>
> What hasn't worked:
>
>- Oversharing articles or business opportunities - There is NOTHING 
>that will kill community quicker than interactions like, "Hey Guys! Will 
>you share this post I wrote! Thanks!!!" You want to push for substantive 
>conversations that build relationships instead of creating transactional 
>ones. 
>
> That's not to say our members don't do business with one another, they do. 
> But it comes up organically. And it's sprinkled in between adding genuine 
> value to each other. 
>
> We use slack for most of this. And Zoom.
>
> Hope this helps! 
>
> - M
>
> On Mon, Oct 1, 2018 at 12:14 PM Angel Kwiatkowski  > wrote:
>
>> I wrote a step by step book on how to do this. Find it at 
>> https://diycoworking.com.
>>
>> Angel
>>
>> On Thursday, September 27, 2018 at 2:17:47 PM UTC-6, Michael Jon wrote:
>>>
>>> Hello, all!  I've recently begun the journey to open up a coworking 
>>> space in my city.  After reading through various postings, books, websites 
>>> etc...it seems that many owners stress the importance of building a 
>>> coworking community BEFORE opening a space.  What are some key 
>>> recommendations on how to build this community.  Very curious to hear what 
>>> worked/didn't work.
>>>
>>> Thank you!
>>>
>> -- 
>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
>> "Coworking" group.
>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an 
>> email to coworking+...@googlegroups.com .
>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
>>
>
>
> -- 
> Margo Aaron 
> That Seems Important  
>
> Want smart people to bounce ideas off of? I have some. 
> 
>

-- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
"Coworking" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email 
to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

Re: [Coworking] Re: Building A Community

[Margo Aaron]

Hey Michael,

My coworking space is completely virtual, so we're almost *entirely*
 community.

What's worked:

   - Personal introductions and taking the time to get to know everyone in
   the space
   - Exclusivity: stressing this is for "people like us" and having some
   common thread that connects your members. In my case, it's solopreneurs
   with online businesses. For other coworking spaces, it could be that you
   all live in XYZ city or are trying to raise venture capital.
   - Having a forum for members to meet each other

What hasn't worked:

   - Oversharing articles or business opportunities - There is NOTHING that
   will kill community quicker than interactions like, "Hey Guys! Will you
   share this post I wrote! Thanks!!!" You want to push for substantive
   conversations that build relationships instead of creating transactional
   ones.

That's not to say our members don't do business with one another, they do.
But it comes up organically. And it's sprinkled in between adding genuine
value to each other.

We use slack for most of this. And Zoom.

Hope this helps!

- M

On Mon, Oct 1, 2018 at 12:14 PM Angel Kwiatkowski 
wrote:

> I wrote a step by step book on how to do this. Find it at
> https://diycoworking.com.
>
> Angel
>
> On Thursday, September 27, 2018 at 2:17:47 PM UTC-6, Michael Jon wrote:
>>
>> Hello, all!  I've recently begun the journey to open up a coworking space
>> in my city.  After reading through various postings, books, websites
>> etc...it seems that many owners stress the importance of building a
>> coworking community BEFORE opening a space.  What are some key
>> recommendations on how to build this community.  Very curious to hear what
>> worked/didn't work.
>>
>> Thank you!
>>
> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> "Coworking" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an
> email to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
>


-- 
Margo Aaron
That Seems Important 

Want smart people to bounce ideas off of? I have some.


-- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
"Coworking" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email 
to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[Coworking] Re: Building A Community

[Angel Kwiatkowski]

I wrote a step by step book on how to do this. Find it at 
https://diycoworking.com.

Angel

On Thursday, September 27, 2018 at 2:17:47 PM UTC-6, Michael Jon wrote:
>
> Hello, all!  I've recently begun the journey to open up a coworking space 
> in my city.  After reading through various postings, books, websites 
> etc...it seems that many owners stress the importance of building a 
> coworking community BEFORE opening a space.  What are some key 
> recommendations on how to build this community.  Very curious to hear what 
> worked/didn't work.
>
> Thank you!
>

-- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
"Coworking" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email 
to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[Coworking] Re: Building A Community

[Qtime Space]

Hey.
It all depends on the size of your coworking

I started with anticafe (room in 60 sq.m.), it's easier to attract people. 
And gradually grew to two floors of space (almost 700 sq. M.) And still 
growing further.

четверг, 27 сентября 2018 г., 23:17:47 UTC+3 пользователь Michael Jon 
написал:
>
> Hello, all!  I've recently begun the journey to open up a coworking space 
> in my city.  After reading through various postings, books, websites 
> etc...it seems that many owners stress the importance of building a 
> coworking community BEFORE opening a space.  What are some key 
> recommendations on how to build this community.  Very curious to hear what 
> worked/didn't work.
>
> Thank you!
>

-- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
"Coworking" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email 
to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[Coworking] Re: Building the community

[Angel Kwiatkowski]

Hi, I just did an in depth interview on how to use Meetup and Jelly to 
build a community before you get a building. Please enjoy Mark Eaton's wise 
words 
at 
http://coherecommunity.com/consulting/using-meetup-to-start-a-coworking-community

Angel

On Wednesday, September 21, 2016 at 10:31:20 AM UTC-6, Chef Tiffani Rozier 
wrote:
>
> I want to start a coworking space in Phoenix, Arizona..with a focus on 
> food and hospitality. All the research I've done strongly recommends 
> building the community first. My question is simple, how do you start that 
> community??
>

-- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
"Coworking" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email 
to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[Coworking] Re: Building the community

[Bisner]

Hey Tiffany,

It's always great to see new people wanting to start their own coworking 
space. Im working at Bisner, a virtual platform to build your coworking 
community. 
>From my standpoint on coworking, I would suggest you to gather events where 
you can attract people with your same needs. I am so convinced Phoenix is 
full of freelancers and nomads (just look up on facebook groups) interested 
in participating in social events. 
Do not be afraid to visit other spaces in your area 
(http://www.keyserco.com/top-5-phoenix-shared-office-space-locations/) to 
see what they are up to and get some inspirtion on how they do it.
If you have the resources you should also participate to Coworking events 
such as GCUC Canada this October.
Check out these websites too: coworkingwiki, coworking handbook
Bisner also allows you to grow your community. You can connect all your 
members in our platform and always stay connected.

Hope this helped, good luck

On Wednesday, 21 September 2016 18:31:20 UTC+2, Chef Tiffani Rozier wrote:
>
> I want to start a coworking space in Phoenix, Arizona..with a focus on 
> food and hospitality. All the research I've done strongly recommends 
> building the community first. My question is simple, how do you start that 
> community??
>

-- 
Visit this forum on the web at http://discuss.coworking.com
--- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
"Coworking" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email 
to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.